The Blossoming of Spring
by death.by.shadows
Summary: Fear not winters wrath for life will always begin again in the spring. As the daughter of the legendary copy ninja Kakashi Hatake there are standards to uphold and expectations to meet, even if they're not related by blood.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just wanted to give a big thanks to hiddenmonk81 and Shika-E.S.W for helping me out and being so amazing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Chapter 1 - The Man in the Mask**

I looked up at him, the hero of the Leaf Village, the one entrusted to keep the peaceful times handed down to us by the previous Hokage. His voice carried with splendid fervor delivering some fluffy speech about how he promises to ensure that these wonderful times shall continue and we, the Leaf Village, will prosper. A bunch of bullshit he's probably pulling out of his ass, but the crowd roars loudly regardless. After all that kid's got charisma, he's always had it.

I smiled, though I doubt he could see me from down here, but I'm so proud of him and of all he's accomplished. I reached my hand up to wave at him like much of the crowd was doing but my wrist was jerked on by these heavy shackles. I was to be sentenced to death tomorrow, public execution. Getting to see him become Hokage was my dying wish.

The ceremony was over I felt one my personal ANBU escorts tug on my chains. "Get moving," The captain barked at me.

I snarled at him, he doesn't know how lucky he is that I'm chained, how lucky he is to have that man as a Hokage. I allowed myself one last fond look at that kid, that man, who is now the leader of this village before I'd have to return the dreary existence that is my cell. I moved my hands up and brushed my fingertips over the topaz necklace around my neck, its twin around the neck of the new Hokage.

This story isn't really about me, it's about _him_, but I suppose in order to tell you his story I'll tell you mine since our stories are so delicately intertwined. I guess to tell you mine I should probably start from the beginning…

Everything changed when my mother died, well I guess it could go all the way back to when my brother died. The details of my childhood are blurry at best, hell I don't even remember what my mother looked like. I can't recall how my brother, or my mother for that matter, died, but I do know that's why I'm here.

The death of my mother is what ultimately landed me on the streets.

I walked down this familiar avenue, cursing at the world, cursing at my very existence. I needed to find somewhere to sleep tonight, some place warm would be nearly impossible to find but I'd settle for some place dry. The streets are especially harsh in the winter; harder to find work, then there's the possibility of catching pneumonia.

The air around me smelt of alcohol and shame, everything was so run down and decrepit here. The sidewalks were cracked and uneven, the buildings weren't faring much better. If the wooden boards on the windows of the complexes weren't a dead give away that this place was a shit hole, then the poor graffiti sure was. The color of this city matched the color of the souls of its inhabitants, a dreary, muted gray. What can I say, home sweet home.

Night fell quickly seeing as it was winter; I managed to score a pack of cigarettes and buy an old button up coat at a second hand store with some money I had stolen a while back.

I slid a cigarette between my chapped lips and continued my hunt for sanctuary. I often find myself silently praying for God to grant me a new life, if only I could get that lucky.

God doesn't answer the prayers of people like me, we're the scum he'd like to wipe from the earth. Well, if God smote me, that'd be ok too.

It's at times like these I wonder what my mother would think of me, of what I've become.

"Hey-" I heard a voice call out through the quiet night air.

"Just give us the bag little girl and we'll leave you alone," I heard another voice jeer.

"Get away from me!" The first voice called again, the tone and pitch of the voice gave away that it was a little girl. Whoever they were they were close, judging by their slightly muffled voices they couldn't be more than a block away. Cautiously approaching the alleyway I peaked my head around the corner. There were three big kids, who I recognized as lower ranking members of a local gang, that were harassing a little girl my age, maybe a year younger than I.

She was lithe little girl with dirty blonde hair that was in uncombed clumps all over her head. In her hands she was clutching her backpack so hard her knuckles turned white. I saw one of the big kids reach for her again aiming to take the backpack. The girl let out a piercing scream and gripped her bag tighter. Whatever was in that backpack she was not willing to part with it.

I'm not entirely sure what came over me at that moment, struck with temporary insanity I suppose, but I entered the ally and called out to them, "Hey you! Ugly! Leave her alone!" The three guys slowly turned to face me, malicious smiles painted on their faces.

"Oh Ho ho, who do we have here?" The biggest one asked, I assumed he's the brain behind this operation.

"None of your goddamn business, now I suggest you leave that girl alone and return to whatever hole you crawled out of," I spat with a bravado I did not have.

"Listen you little rat you can't talk to us that way!" One of the cronies shouted.

"What do you say boys? Wanna show this little girl just who she's messing with," the boss said advancing toward me.

They were getting closer and closer. I wanted to run, but I also wanted to stay and fight. I don't even know how to fight; I couldn't in good conscious just stand back and do nothing though. I issued a challenge I had to fight didn't I? This is what I get for throwing my weight around. The debate went back and forth in my head, my muscles tensed. They were only a few feet away from me now; I started to shake, my mind racking with indecision. I took one more long look at them then bolted.

"Get her!" I heard them shout before they took off after me.

My heart was drumming in my ears so loud I couldn't hear much else. I rounded a corner and pushed open the doors to the old abandoned shoe factory. I heard the wood creak under my weight but I paid it no mind, until I heard a sickening crack as the wood gave way beneath my feet. I screamed as I fell down into the black abyss.

My body jolted as I hit the ground feet first. I cried out in pain, as my leg bent in a way it probably shouldn't have. The cold ground was pressing into my face and body, chilling me to the bone even with my coat.

"Hey where'd she go?" I heard the voices of the people that had been chasing me.

"Little bitch, must have gotten away," another one said, "Let's get out of here, its fucking cold,"

They were right it was cold, I needed to get out of here before night set in or I would end up a frozen corpse. I tried to move but a ripple of pain shot through my whole body. I cried out in agony and clutched my leg, the source of most, if not all of my pain. Spots danced across my eyes and I closed them tightly scolding myself for intervening on that girls behalf. There was a gust of wind that violently rattled the old building. The factory was groaning loudly as it's rotted frame swayed back and forth. I felt my body start to shake involuntarily in order to keep itself warm.

It seemed like I had been trapped in this decrypted building forever, my body had eventually gone numb from the cold. My fingertips had a blue hue, the frigged wind pierced my ears, even the meager act of rubbing my skin to create friction got to be too tiring for me so I opted to just tuck my hands into my body and lay still. I decided to give in and let my heavy eyelids slide shut, the thought of calling for help fluttered through my mind, but who would come to the aid of a street rat like me. There was a silver lining in all of this though, my leg had gone numb from the cold

"Hey," a small voice called. I opened my eyes and blinked. "Hey, I know you're in here. Where are you?"

Can't a girl die in peace? Slowly I pulled myself to a sitting position, grunting and hissing in pain of the ache of my frozen body. I looked up at the dim light from the outside shining into my hole.

"I'm not going to hurt you I just want to thank you," the small voice said stepping further into the factory.

"Be careful don't move," I called up to her in warning, "the floor isn't stable,"

"So that's what happened," she said aloud, "You fell in a hole,"

"Yeah," I answered dejectedly.

"Well just hold on okay, I'm going to go get help," she said, than I heard her feet slide on the wood.

"No wait!" I shouted at her.

"It's okay! I'll be right back!" She called back, the pitter-patter of her tiny feet signaling her departure.

"Fat chance in hell, sweetheart..." I muttered foully.

The night settled in and the temperature dropped a full 10 degrees, and it was only going to get worse as the night progressed. I just sat there feeling down on myself hoping I'd just die and it'd all be over soon. I felt my eyes grow heavy as the sandman was enticing me with a lovely melody; I let my eyes shut welcoming him with open arms.

_"I love you so much baby, I couldn't bear it if you died," _

_"Mama?" _

"My name is Kakashi, I'm here to help you,"

_"Don't quit baby, don't you die on me," _

_Rock-a-bye _

_And Goodnight _

_Go to Sleep _

_My Sweet Baby _

_Mommy Loves You _

_Yes I Love You _

_Just the Way You Are. _

I jerked awake but managed to bite my tongue stopping from crying out. Still groggy from my impromptu nap, I tried looking around but my vision was fuzzy. I felt myself moving, being rocked almost. My muscles tensed and my chest tightened... someone was touching me.

"Relax," a deep voice rumbled from above me as we continued to move.

"Where are you taking me?" I croaked.

"The orphanage," he replied back easily.

"What?!" I snapped, or tried to snap anyway, it didn't sound very harsh, more of like a squeak.

"I'm taking you to the orphanage," he said again, slow and patronizing.

"No you are not," I tried to sound brave and demanding. "Look, Mister, I appreciate your help and everything, but set me in some alleyway, I'll be fine,"

"You have a broken leg, you are ice cold, and if you stay out here you will most likely die. I am taking you to an orphanage," he said with finality. His tone was one of absolute professionalism, like I was some client of his and he knew what was best for me.

"Humph," I mumbled.

"Just relax we'll be there in no time," Seeing as I didn't really have an option I leaned into his embrace and laid my head on his chest. Soon enough the gentle swaying of his body as we walked accompanied by the warmth of his arms calmed me and I was lulled back to sleep.

When I awoke again I was on a blanket on the cold floor of an odd building, my head was gently cradled by a pillow and surprisingly so was my leg. Blinking my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting I gazed around the room, trying to get a feel for where I was. The walls were covered in wooden panels, but all in all pretty bare, there was a small table in the corner of the room that held a lit candle but that was it.

I felt someone shift and press their way into my side. My eyes widened and I glanced over. The girl, the one those boys were terrorizing, and the one who undoubtedly saved my life was snuggling up to me. So he brought her along as well.

There were more children then just us though, two or three rows of children were on either side of me snuggly tucked into bedrolls, a small walkway separating the boys from the girls. Wait, that man he said that he was taking me to an orphanage, so that must be where I am. I remember him laying me down here after mumbling something to the proprietress.

Why did he even care?

I can vaguely recall opening my eyes to look at the person who saved me; he wore a mask that covered most of his face and I could only see one eye, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the dark or because his mask covered that too. He had silver hair that spiked up and to the side. There was something else though; he had a headband on too. The shiny metal reflected off the dim lighting in the room, he was a ninja of Kohona, a ninja of the village hidden in the leaves. But what was he doing out here, this is purely civilian territory. Ninja didn't come this way, thus the reason why gangs have sprung up.

I shook my head trying to remove him from my thoughts and focus on this prison I was now incarcerated in.

I gently reached over and patted the girl next to me. "Hey," I whispered. "Hey, wake up," I whispered loudly.

"What do you want?" The girl mumbled sourly.

"Wake up, we got to get out of here," I said pinching her arm.

"What, why?" She said groggily finally pulling herself into a sitting position.

"It'll be trouble if we stay here, I'll explain later. Now come on!" I hoisted myself up, bringing her up with me. As soon as I put weight on my right leg it buckled, intense throbbing surged up and down my whole leg. I looked down and noticed my leg was stinted and bandaged. That masked ninja; he must have taken care of my injury before he left.

Grabbing onto the girl for support we tip toed around the other sleeping children. I was carefully monitoring my steps in order to sneak out without alerting the proprietress and I signaled the girl to follow directly in my footsteps.

We were almost to the door a mere 10 feet away at best, almost free from this terrible place, when she stumbled and stepped on some little girls hair, causing the little girl to scream loudly.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. I turned back and glared at the girl accusingly. She looked guilty; all of the color seemed to have drained from her face. A bead of sweet ran down her forehead, she recognized the severity of her misstep. I should have just left her behind. I would be out right now. Every man for himself, that was the hard lesson life taught me-

We jerked our heads up as the door banged open, light from the hallway illuminating the small room.

"What's going on here? There is to be no talking after bed time." Standing in the doorway was a rather large woman bathed in lamplight. Her greying hair pulled into a tight bun behind her head, her beady eyes were fixed in a glare, and her lips pursed into a thin line. Gripped tightly in her left hand was a thick wooden spoon.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed taking notice of the young girl sitting up sobbing in her bedroll. Ugly loud crying filled the room as the proprietress made her way over to the girl. "There, there," she cooed soothingly, pulling the young girl into her robust bosom and petting her hair. Slowly the little girl quieted down comforted by the older woman, her tears subsided and the mistress tucked her back into bed.

Once she saw that the young girl would sleep through the night she turned to us, glowering, "What do you two think you are doing out of bed?" her voice low and threatening.

I grabbed the blonde girl's hand and pulled her behind me, shielding her from the proprietress. I felt her tremble with fear at the sight of the imposing woman. She tightly fisted the fabric of my shirt and pressed her slim body into my back. I stared up at her with a look of mild defiance in my eyes.

The woman got up and stormed toward us, her meaty hand latched onto my arm and she retched me away from the little girl I was shielding. She spun me around and –

_Twack_

"Ow!" I whined quietly. A ferocious sting blossomed across the back of my tender thigh as the proprietress smacked me with her evil wooden spoon. She quickly released me and grabbed the little girl smacking her on the back of the thigh with the horrible implement as well. The little girl let out a whimper and threw her arms around me as soon as the proprietress let her go, probably hoping I would shield her from any further assault by the wooden spoon.

"Naughty, naughty girls!" She scolded us in harsh whispers, crouching down to our level so she could glare at us properly. "I will not tolerate rule breakers, now back to bed." The proprietress ushered us back to our shared bedroll and lifted up the cover hinting for the little girl next to me to crawl in first, then helped me lie down making sure my leg was properly elevated. The proprietress tucked us in and left after giving the room a once over, seeing all her other little one's were where they were supposed to be.

"This is all your fault." The little girl scowled at me after we got settled, tugging the blanket roughly to her side so she had more.

"Well if you hadn't stepped on that girl's hair we would be free right now." I whispered, "you deserved that smack for your screw up." I wrenched the blanket back over to my side.

"Yeah, well you deserved your smack for being a big dummy and falling into a hole in the first place," She jerked on the blanket again, but I held fast to my end this time so we reached a stalemate the blanket spread between us equally.

"Humph." I said rolling over on my back so I didn't have to see her face.

"Humph." She replied. I felt the blanket stretch as she too turned on her side so her back was to me.

After a few minutes of cold silence I heard her whisper, "My name is Ami by the way."

"Haruko," I whispered back. A silent truce was made between us, at least for tonight anyway. Not like I was going to be here for another night though, tomorrow I'm busting out of this joint.

**Thanks for reading, reviewing is much obliged! Constructive is more than welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A big thank you to Hiddenmonk81 and Shika-E.S.W for all the help.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, obviously.**

**Chapter 2 - Nothing Quite Like A Well Organized Escape.**

* * *

Sweat dripped down my face in bullets, my muscles were cramping in this tight space, what I wouldn't give to get to move my limbs freely again. That wasn't an option now though, if I moved an inch or even made the slightest noise that could give away my position. I could hear my pursuers right behind the wall; they were closing in on our location, it wouldn't be long now till I'm apprehended and when that happens it'll all be over.

Escape Attempt 1: The Santa Clause Maneuver

Objective: Using my small size and superior flexibility to my advantage I'm going to escape this prison by crawling up the chimney. Once I get onto the roof, well, I haven't thought that far ahead, but I'm sure its just a hop, skip and a jump to my freedom.

Partner: Ami (Who wouldn't leave me alone even though I insisted she stay behind seeing as she only slow me down. Talk about stubborn.)

Tools: A little spit and elbow grease

Percent Error: less than 5%

"Haruko!" I heard Madam Fusa, the proprietress, yell out, "Now where in the world did that child run off too?"

"Madam Fusa, Ami's missing too." I recognized that voice too, it was Hao one of the older kids at the orphanage. He was constantly following Madam Fusa around and watching us 'little kids' like some self appointed big brother, he's just a nark if you ask me.

Ami and I were only dropped off here 4 days ago when Hao personally assigned himself to be our watcher. Keeping close eyes on Ami and I making sure we weren't breaking any rules or being mischievous.

I was enclosed in this brick smokeshaft the walls compressing me barely giving me enough room to climb. It was a tight squeeze and I tried telling that to Ami who was currently stuffed up this chimney with me, her bony elbow lodged into my ribcage poking me like an ever-present thorn in my side.

"Come on Ami, lets keep going." I whispered to her as I moved my arms gripping the brick tightly with my fingertips. My back pressed against the opposite wall allowing my shimming up the chimney. I continued my assent trying to ignore the putrid taste of coal and focus on the goal, my freedom. What the wind will feel like running through my hair, how wonderfully familiar the stench of booze and body odor will be, how –

"Umph," I grunted as I stopped moving, my knees were pressed against my sides putting strain on my hips, I, precariously, had my broken leg tucked underneath my body trying not to jostle it, my arms were tight against my chest. My body was stiffly contorted like I had subjected myself to a game leapfrog and my uncoordinated partner just landed on me. I went to move forward and found my movement was restricted. Oh no, this is bad, very, horrifically, super bad.

"Haruko why aren't you moving?" Ami's soft voice called up to me.

The chimney, it got narrower at the top, I didn't factor that in to my calculations and now I was, "Stuck." I confessed.

"What do you mean stuck?" She whined, probably aggravated that this was a confined space and her head was unfortunately positioned near my posterior. At least I had a bath yesterday.

"I mean I can't move Ami." I whispered back annoyed.

"So what do we do now?" She asked. I could hear the nervousness creeping into her voice. She had every right to be nervous, I wasn't exactly feeling calm at that moment either. Madam Fusa explicitly told us that there would be severe consequences should we misbehave, putting extra emphasis on _severe_.

"The only thing we can do, Ami," I admitted my defeat. I would hang my head in shame if I had room to hang my head.

"Help!" We both screamed in unison.

…

"Dirty, dirty girls!" Madam Fusa said scrubbing at us viciously with a bath brush. Men from the neighboring carpentry store came over when they heard Madam Fusa's frantic screams and carefully extracted Ami and I from the chimney warning us to be more careful when we were playing. Covered in soot and grime Madam Fusa decided to postpone our punishment in order to give us a bath.

So there Ami and I were sitting in a tub of lukewarm water getting our skin scrubbed off by the proprietress.

"Oh you two are in so much trouble!" She scolded, being extra harsh in bathing us, probably to release some of her frustrations. "I think Chef needs help in the kitchen, and I could use some help in the garden, then the floorboards could use a good scrubbing. Oh and the laundry needs to get done, we have about 16 sets of sheets to wash, along with towels and other clothes, you two know how to use a washboard right?" She asked with a smirk on her lips. It seemed like she was enjoying the idea of punishing us.

Ami and I shared a look of displeasure and groaned.

Escape Attempt 1: Failure

* * *

A soft breeze gently blew through the strands of my hair; the crisp winter air stung my nostrils as I took in a deep breath. I felt like I was on top of the world standing out here, all of my problems they seemed to fade away to nothing and get carried off by the wind.

"Hey Haruko?" Ami asked tugging gently on my arm, pulling me out of my daze. I had forgotten she was here; I was just so entranced from looking at the city.

"Yeah Ami?" I sighed contently, not willing yet to part my gaze from this concrete jungle adorned with lights. It was like looking at a sea of lanterns as they drifted peacefully along, cradled by the deep blue ocean, and veiled by the dark night sky.

"Do you think this is going to work?"

Escape Attempt 2: Bed Sheet Break Out

Objective: Using the bed sheets we were supposed to have washed as punishment from our last escape attempt we fashion a rope. Then we will climb to the roof and cast down our blanket chain to freedom.

Partner: Ami (Who is actually more useful then I had originally anticipated)

Tools: Seven bed sheets and a pair of dull scissors

Percent Error: 8%

"Of course this is going to work, why would it not work?" I scrutinized her.

"Well," She started, looking down at her feet shuffling them nervously, refusing to look me in the eye. "It's just that,"

"What?" I demanded.

"Well, its just that last time you said the plan was fool proof we got stuck in a chimney!" She raised her voice to where she was almost yelling at me, her azure eyes looking at me accusingly.

"That was three days ago!" I exclaimed, "I'm older now, wiser."

Ami shot me with another glare.

I held my hands up in surrender, trying to placate her, "Ami, this time it's going to work, I know it is.." I said quietly then gave her my most glittering smile.

She nodded appeased for the time being. We quickly got to work on finding a point to fasten the rope of bed sheets we had made to. The rooftop of the orphanage was pretty bare of sturdy pieces to attach a rope to. There was a hut that housed the door and stairs to the third floor of the orphanage on one side of the roof, an air-conditioning unit on the other, and racks of clotheslines in between which was how we got access to the bed sheets.

After Ami and I finished washing the bed sheets as part of our punishment we set them up here to dry. Once they finished drying we tucked aside seven bed sheets figuring that would be enough to get us to the ground. We fetched the necessary spares from the linen closet and continued about our day like nothing was amiss.

Once night fell and it was time for all us 'lump-dumplings' to go bed Ami and I initiated our plan of action. We laid down in our shared bed that we insisted on even though we were offered separate beds; we just figured it would be easier to scheme this way, and feigned sleep. Now Madam Fusa came in every night at about midnight to make sure all of us were still asleep and there were no problems, once we figured that out the escape plan was perfect. After Madam did her nightly check up Ami and I snuck away to the roof where we had set aside our bed sheets.

"Hey Ru, I think I found something." I heard Ami call to me. I quickly grabbed the sheets in my arms and rushed over to her. "Would this work?" She asked taking one end of our impromptu rope. It was a mild steal seamless steam pipe that came up from the floor of the roof about 12.7 centimeters in diameter. It was probably releasing air from the boiler room that supplied the three-story house with heated water.

"Way to go Ami!" I cheered. I fastened one end of the sheets around the piping in what was hopefully a secure knot and Ami cast the other end over the side of the building. I gave it a cautionary tug on the knot, satisfied when it didn't come undone then went over to join Ami on the ledge of building.

I gazed into Ami's eyes, and she gazed into mine, there was mutual apprehension here. We were about to scale three stories on the strength of blankets alone, this was going to be challenging no matter which way you looked at it. Ami gave me a look that read along the lines of 'It was your idea, you first'. I rolled my eyes and climbed up on the edge.

My palms were sweating as I gripped the rope tightly between my clenched fists. I was relying on the strength of my right leg, offering up a prayer to whatever deity may be out there to not let my leg collapse on me now. Ami placed a pale, gently hand a top mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Then with Ami's blessing and my own ambition I made my descent.

It was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach for a solid 15 minutes that it took for me to get down to the ground. Looking down those three stories seemed so imposing and knowing that if my foot slipped or if my grip weakened I would fall straight into immense amounts of pain or well, death.

I didn't really have much of a choice though; the only way to go was down, so I swallowed my fear turned my gaze upward focusing on Ami's scared eyes and pale face reflecting moonlight, refusing to look down until I reached the ground.

Once my feet were planted firmly on the ground I looked up and gave Ami the signal to come on down, and just as I had done she climbed down ever so carefully. Once she had her feet on the ground I threw my arms around her in a celebratory hug. We made it out of the orphanage! We were free to do what ever we wanted no longer having to submit to the tyranny that was the adults! I was so happy at that point in time; a grin was splitting my face ear to ear.

"Well, well, well, What do we have here?"

I gasped, the voice seemed to come from the shadows, and I knew that growl all to well. Ami gripped my sleeve tightly moving behind me again, knowing we were in some deep shit now. I backed up until Ami was flush against the building and watched in terror as our apprehender emerged from the shadows, silently praying she didn't have that wicked spoon with her.

Madam Fusa materialized from the behind the cover cast by the adjacent building her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl graced her lips, and her brow was furrowed in anger.

"M-madam Fusa," I stuttered. "Listen, we can explain. We weren't trying to escape we were...um – doing just the opposite in fact! Ami and I checking the walls for cracks and holes to make sure none of the other kids could escape. We were just looking out for you Madam." I bluffed.

"Looking out for me, Eh?" Sending us a glare that I interpreted as, _'you're so full of shit I can smell ya from here,'_

"Back to bed right now." She ordered pointing her finger in the direction of the front door of the orphanage. "I swear you two make me want to rip out my hair, and don't think you wont be cleaning up this mess tomorrow!" She chastised coming right up behind us as we marched dejectedly to our holding cell.

Escape Attempt 2: Failure

* * *

I reached over and locked fingers with Ami, holding her sweaty palm in my own sweaty palm. I looked over to see Ami's eyes trained forward. She was trembling slightly, out of trepidation or anticipation I wasn't quite sure. I looked forward too; nothing but the pale blue sky and my freedom lie before me.

I gave Ami's hand a comforting squeeze. "Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," She replied, a slight tremble in her voice.

Escape Attempt 3: Flying the Coop

Objective: Using a refurbished kite I found in a closet and some feathers I got from the arts and crafts room I made a set of wings that would glide Ami and I over to the next building and ultimately to our freedom.

Co-Conspirator: Ami

Tools: The wings and goggles we swiped from the toy room where the dress up stuff is kept.

Percent Error: 16%

The plan hatched in my mind a few days ago…

"_Hey Ami," I asked rolling over in our bed so I could look at her._

"_Yeah Ru?" She rolled to face me as well, even in the dark room I could see her eyes light up with curiosity at what I was about to say._

"_Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly?" I asked seriously, reaching out to thread my gaunt fingers through a strand of blond hair that had fallen in her eyes. I admired the silky hair in between my finger tips, after being here for a couple of weeks the knots had untangled due to the regular baths we received and looked much healthier, it had regained it's sheen and strength too._

"_What do you mean?" She asked leaning towards me, allowing me to pet more of her hair._

"_You know, like the birds going from place to place without a care in the world. No one to answer too, no one to cage them, they are completely and utterly free." I said looking off at the wall forlorn._

"_We're not birds Ru, we're people." She said lightheartedly, like my notion was all around silly._

"_But imagine Ami, what if we could be birds, wouldn't you want to be?" I asked returning my gaze to her now, I wanted a serious answer from her, I didn't want her to just brush this off as a fool hearty notion._

_She paused for a moment as if contemplating the logic behind my idea then asked, "What are we going to do when we get out of here?" getting this far off look in her eyes, a tiny smile graced her lips._

_Her sweet smile radiated warmth. I didn't want to like Ami, not at first, for weeks after our initial capture and containment, I avoided her. The only time I spent in contact with her was our time sleeping together, but like a little pickaxe chips away at a mighty boulder, Ami chipped away at me. Her innocence and raw joy to be alive reminded me of something I had forgotten, something that was lost._

"_You know something that I've always wanted to do?"_

"_What?" Ami whispered exuberantly, her eyebrows arched up as she waited for me to elaborate._

"_I've always wanted to try shaved ice, you know the ones where they put the syrup in it to make it taste good. In the shopping district there is this bridge that goes over the cleanest stream and there are the prettiest Sakura trees. I'd want to go there and eat some of the ice and watch the cherry blossoms float down the stream. That is if we ever get out of here." I said laying my head back on the pillow._

"_Oh Haruko that sounds wonderful!" She sighed blissfully. "Hey Ru," She stuttered her voice suddenly becoming timid._

"_Yeah Ami?" I questioned gently turning my head to look at her._

"_Do you think…I could go to this stream with you?" Her voice was almost inaudible._

"_Of course Ami!" I reassured her pressing my forehead against hers in a comforting manner. "I wouldn't dream of going with out you! We're sisters."_

_Something once lost, forgotten and cast away…but I had it again now, and I didn't want to let it go._

"_Sisters?" Ami questioned looking into my eyes. "I've never had a sister before."_

"_Then that settles it, we're sisters." I smiled, Ami smiled too, that wonderful warm smile of hers._

"_Alright Haruko lets do it, lets be birds!" Ami answered giggling quietly…_

Obtaining the materials was easy enough, I drew the blueprints on an easel during our arts and crafts time while Ami stole copious amounts of feathers, and the kite we noticed was just lying around.

Now we were standing on the roof trying to forget about our blunder last week with the bed sheets, but really how could we have known Madam Fusa noticed that sheets were missing and the linen closet was open and our shoes were missing. Right now we were supposed to be playing outside and playing outside was exactly what we were doing, playing for keeps that is.

"Goggles?" I asked moving my goggles down to cover my eyes

"Check!" Ami replied slapping her goggles down over her eyes as well.

"Wings?"

"Check!"

"Alright," I said standing straight, "Prepare to launch."

We were all the way on the opposite side of the roof from our jump point so we could get a running start, and that way successfully achieve lift off.

"Three,"

"Two,"

"One,"

"Launch!" Ami and I took off like rockets, well Ami took off, my leg was still broken so I tried my hardest to hobble after her but raw pain was shooting up my leg. I started to see spots dance in front of my eyes, but I ignored it and pushed on, I had to fly! We began flapping our arms and our wing attachments so we could become airborne. I felt the wind hit my face and my wings, like it was going to lift me from this place and carry me home.

I closed my eyes, embracing the wind telling it that I was its ally that we were companions and the wind responded I felt myself being lifted into the air!

Wait, why was the wind picking me up by my collar?

"What in the world do you crazy girls think you're doing?!" Madam Fusa had both Ami and I in her clutches and was carrying us back away from the edge.

"Umph," Ami and I both groaned as we were dropped on our asses in front of Madam Fusa.

"I really can't believe you two, what were you hoping to accomplish, you can't fly!" Madam Fusa said starting in on the lecture right away, Ami and I both had the good sense to look repentant. "All you two were going to achieve was a couple of broken necks. Strapping a kite to your back and flapping your arms like a couple of deranged chickens." She scolded then grew silent; she looked down at us her shoulders slumped as if she was carrying a heavy burden, her eyes dull like she had lost a fight.

"Haruko, Ami," Madam Fusa finally spoke, her voice solemn and low, "I can't keep doing this, I have other children that need my attention." Ami and I peered up at her with curious eyes. "I'm sorry babies, but I'm sending you away, I just don't think I'm capable of taking care of you anymore." She explained.

Wait, sending us away…that meant…we were getting out of here!

Escape Attempt 3: Success…sort of?

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**Please Review, it'd make me oh so very happy to know what you thought. Constructive criticism is of course welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed, it's greatly appreciated! Big thanks like always to my amazing beta's Shika-E.S.W and hiddenmonk81. **

"Haruko, Ami, please come in." Madam Fusa said, noticing us standing in the doorway of the dining room. The proprietress was seated at the empty table across from a man, the two looked as if they were conducting serious business. The man wasn't very pretty, he looked rather stiff; all of his hair had fallen out or had been shaved off, he wore large round glasses that over emphasized his small eyes and looked to be in about his fifties. His thin lips turned down in a scowl when he saw Ami and I enter. I scowled back at him and slipped my hand into Ami's as we approached the two adults.

"Please girls, take a seat." Madam Fusa said in a falsetto voice, obviously pleasing this stranger was a top priority. Ami and I obediently took our places next to Madam Fusa at the dining table and turned our full attention to the unwelcome stranger.

"Girls, this is Mr. Dano." She said gesturing to the stumpy man sitting across from us. He peered down at us from a top his glasses. "He works for a very important man out west of here, Lord Tento Daikoku."

"I suppose they'll do," Mr. Dano said with cold indifference.

"Haruko, Ami, Lord and Lady Daikoku want to adopt you isn't that great!" Madam Fusa said with fraudulent over-exuberance.

I cast a suspicious eye at Mr. Dano, I've seen his type before; he was an elitist, he worked for a powerful man that meant he was powerful by association, the rest of us were just second class citizens not worthy to even kneel at their feet. It made my stomach clench in disgust.

A sharp pinch on my arm roused me from my thoughts. I looked over to see that Madam Fusa was holding my bicep between her fingertips, a sour look on her face. "I said, isn't that great? Haruko, please extend proper courtesy to the gentleman who has come all the way from the Land of Waves to see you," Madam said through clenched teeth.

I bowed my head politely and signaled for Ami to do the same, "Thank you for your kindness Master Dano." I said with a fake smile.

"Humph," He merely grunted. He handed over some paperwork to Madam Fusa and stood up out of his chair. Ami, Madam Fusa, and I stood up too, out of respect. "Have the girls in my carriage with in the hour I have important business to attend to back at the manor and we really must be going." He ordered.

"Yes, of course sir," Madam Fusa said subserviently, bowing to Mr. Dano.

No more then 30 minutes later Ami and I were ushered into an elegant horse drawn carriage, like those built for Feudal Lords and other important people. We both received a kiss on the cheek and a stern warning to behave from Madam Fusa before she bid us farewell. I watched out the carriage window as the orphanage slowly drifted out of sight and I couldn't help but wonder if I made the right decision in leaving the orphanage…

A bump on the carriage jarred me from my thoughts.

"Haruko," Ami whispered to me, keeping her voice low in case Master Dano could hear us from his spot next to the driver. "Is something bad going to happen to us?"

"No Ami, we are going to be just fine," I lied, a smile graced my features, I couldn't let Ami see how uneasy I really was. Everything about this whole situation was making me nervous, Master Dano didn't seem to care about Ami and I at all, and wouldn't the Lord and Lady of the house want to see their two daughters for themselves before just taking us in. Something just wasn't sitting right with me.

I felt the carriage slow down as we passed through an iron gate and gradually came to a stop. The door opened and we were ushered out of the carriage by the driver and onto a cobblestone driveway that lead up to the most grandiose mansion I have ever seen. It was an old house, but beautiful nonetheless, it stood tall made of beautiful cherry wood and brick with lovely large, red, circle windows that nicely complimented with the creamy masonry of the mansion. It was like something out of a dream, what you'd picture the perfect family owning, the patriarch deals in real estate, the matriarch stays home and over looks the house, the children well groomed and polite. I couldn't believe that Ami and I, two street urchins were going to blossom into well-groomed children. It was a dream come true, almost too good to be true.

"Come along," Master Dano said walking over toward Ami and I before grabbing my arm and tugging me along. Ami latched onto the back of my dress and followed closely behind me practically stepping on my heels.

Master Dano yanked us through the front doors and around a corner; I was hobbling along as fast as I could when I smacked right into Master Dano's legs not noticing that he stopped. He spun around sharply and glared at me then kneeled down so he was at our level, "This is the door to the masters office, do not ever come in here unless invited." He whispered harshly.

"When we go in, do not speak unless spoken to and keep your head's bowed. Understand?" I nodded meekly and Ami just hid further behind me. Standing back up he knocked politely then entered. The three of us walked into the most wonderful study I had ever laid eyes on; there were oak bookshelves filled with books, the whole room was painted a warm terra cotta brown, several pieces of art work adorned the walls, and behind a desk in the center of the room sat the Lord of the house, Lord Daikoku.

The Lord was a broad shouldered man, his muddy brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail behind his head, his strong jaw and thin nose offset by his heavy eyebrows making his face seem all the more pensive. His dark kimono looked so elegant covering his tan skin completing the whole 'Lordy' look.

"My Lord, the children have arrived from the orphanage," Master Dano said, his head bowed politely. Master Dano turned his head towards us and saw that we were both still standing staring straight ahead, he let out a low snarl then grabbed our shoulders and roughly shoved us to the ground so we were kowtowing in front of the Lord.

"Very good Dano, please take them to my wife for her to look over." The Lord said without looking up, his voice coarse and gruff, probably from years of smoking.

Just as quickly as we were brought into the room we were ushered back out. Dano then escorted us to a large washroom and instructed us to stay put then quickly walked out leaving us all alone. A few moments later Dano returned leading a tall woman followed by several other women into the washroom. The other women went about the room grabbing soap and towels while Dano and the tall woman stood by supervising.

The tall woman strolled over to Ami and I and bent down so she was at our eye level. She looked at us intently, her red painted lips pursed, with her long face and high cheekbones she looked somewhat like a praying mantis. Very quickly her long fingers snatched out and grabbed Ami's shoulders. Ami let out a terrified scream and started to struggle.

"No!" I cried out. Ami grabbed onto my dress and I grabbed her arm not willing let this praying mantis take her away from me.

I felt her hand strike me hard across the cheek and I reflexively let go of Ami. "Stop this right now." The mantis hissed at Ami and I, holding up her palm showing me if I didn't stop I'd be slapped again. She pushed Ami into the waiting arms of Mr. Dano. The woman then turned all her attention on me. Her thin fingers gripped my shoulders rather strongly as she turned me around.

"She's damaged," the mantis said taking notice of my leg which had mostly healed by now since it has been three weeks since my initial injury. She then pulled off my dress and looked at me in my underwear. I let out a small whimper at being stripped but she ignored me her eyes flickering up and down my entire body. I felt so helpless standing there practically naked as all these people looked at me, their eyes casting bitter judgment.

"She's very thin too, is she even healthy enough to do the work?" Her long fingers delicately traced over my ribs that protruded out, nothing but a thin layer of skin covering them, my cheeks had sunken in from not allowing my body necessary nutrients, my joints protruded out like large knots in my arms and legs. I knew how I must look to these rich aristocrats; sickly thin and disgusting, just like a gutter rat.

"My lady, the proprietress said she was very cunning and a durable young girl, she will suit our needs just fine." Dano answered his rough hands still digging into Ami's shoulders holding her back.

"Hnn." The mantis said before turning back to me, she took her fingers and pressed on the sores on my hips, I winced but other wise managed to stay quiet. She then cupped my chin in her hand and looked at my face turning my head from side to side. "She's very beautiful," she said stroking my cheek absentmindedly.

"I guess she'll do," she said to Dano, she then reached down and placed her hand on my broken leg. Her hand started to glow a green color then the pain in my leg disappeared! I looked up at her my eyes wide with shock. She chuckled softly then adopted a very serious expression. She pulled me closer to her and placed the hand she used to heal me on my rib cage. Her hand started to glow again, but this time it didn't take away any pain, this time it felt as if her hand was on fire. I squeaked as her burning hand pushed on my rib cage, sending painful heat waves all down my side.

"I can take away your pain just as easily as cause you pain. Remember that child," she whispered harshly in my ear.

She let go of me and I let out a sigh of relief, the burning hand was no longer there but I could still feel flames on my skin. Lady Daikoku turned on her heel casting her devilish gaze on Ami now. Her hand lashed out grabbing a hold of Ami by the waistband of her shorts and pulled her closer. Lady Daikoku soon stripped Ami out of her clothing as well as she looked her over.

Ami, like myself had protruding joints and rib bones, her slight frame made them stick out even more so then mine did. Even though we had been eating three solid meals a day for the last three weeks Ami and I hadn't put on much weight, so much like leaves, fragile and able to be carried off by the slightest breeze.

Lady Daikoku roughly pressed her fingers into Ami's biceps and thighs trying to see how much muscle Ami had, mentally categorizing her in a job fit for her size. She spun Ami around once so she could look at her back and then pushed her out of the way. I reached my arms out and pulled Ami close to me and away from that vicious praying mantis.

"Minni, have the girls washed and show them to their room. Tomorrow send that one," She said pointing her finger at me, "Outside to work on the farm, the little one will work as a chamber maid in my quarters." I held tightly onto Ami as the Mistress then left the room leaving us with the maids to be cleaned up.

…

After our bath Ami and I were escorted to a small room on the south wing. The walls were completely bare save for a window in the corner and a tin washing basin and a bed mat on the floor, I stared into the room with distain but at least they didn't separate Ami and I.

The maid they called Minni pushed us into the room and let out a deep sigh, "Here is your room, don't make a mess and keep quiet. If Master Dano hears you crying then he'll beat you." Mini said in the most monotone lackluster voice I have ever heard.

"Chores start at dawn, I'll come get you then," The anhedonic maid said with another sigh before turning around and shutting the door behind her.

I walked over to our tiny window and looked out at the orange sun setting on the horizon bathing the many acres of land in gold. Though my encounter with Lord and Lady Daikoku was brief I had a feeling they were more then just rice farmers.

"Haruko," Ami's soft voice called out to me. I turned around to see her standing in the middle of the room her arms wrapped around her shoulders her thin fingers digging into the folds of her sleeping robe, she looked as if she was about to cry.

"Ami, what's the matter?" I whispered walking over to her placing my hands on her biceps giving her a gentle squeeze.

"I don't like it here Haruko. Madam Fusa, she said we were gonna be 'dopted and have parents, but these people aren't parents, are they?" She whispered back her breath hitching in her throat.

I looked at the lost expression on her face and pulled her into a hug, I felt her arms wrap around me as she buried her head into my shoulder.

"I've always wanted to be adopted because being adopted meant you had a place where you belong and people who love you. You got to have parents, and they wouldn't leave you like they did when you were being fostered. You were theirs and they were yours, that's what parents are aren't they?" Ami started to cry softly as her dream of having a real family seemed more and more unobtainable.

I looked down at my friend sadly, she had been through so much in the foster system. A family picking her up and promising her that she belonged with them only to dump her back out on the street at their earliest convenience. It must have been so hard for her to open her heart to love then watch as that door slammed in her face. This lack of a home and stable connections explained why Ami was so clingy, she was constantly afraid those around her were going to leave her all alone again. Being alone again was something her young heart couldn't bare anymore.

"I can't answer that, Ami." I replied solemnly, petting her hair in what I had hoped was a comforting manner, "but you and I are sisters right?" I asked putting my finger under her chin and tilting her head to look up at me.

"Right," she croaked, tear tracks clearly visible on her flushed cheeks.

"So that makes us a family, and family means you belong to me and I belong to you, right?"

"Right," she said, a small smile returning to her face.

"Good," I proclaimed releasing her and marching over to the bed, "then as your elder sister I hereby decree that I get first dibs on the pillows." Gesturing to the two pillows on the bed, one of which looked much more fluffier then the other and that was the one I had my eye on.

"What? No way!" Ami shouted giggling now.

"Its only fair," I said wagging my finger at Ami, "I'm the older sister so I get the superior pillow."

"You're not even that much older then me!" She said tackling me to the ground then trying to climb over my body to get to the pillows but my arms were longer then hers so I managed to snatch the good pillow before she could grab it and wacked her upside the head with it.

"Ummph," she grunted as she tumbled off of me, "oh no you didn't." She said snatching up the lesser pillow for herself.

"Humph. Defend yourself dear sister because I'm about to teach you a lesson in minding your elders." I sneered smacking her again with my pillow. She got to her feet and quickly managed to hit me back.

This war waged on until we were both lying on the floor spent, our little chests heaved up and down as we tried to catch our breath. We shared a mischievous look and burst out laughing.

We crawled into bed so we could sleep for the night before we had to wake up at some ungodly hour in the morning. I looked over at Ami, her eyes no longer showed any signs that she had been crying but the sadness was still there. I pulled her close to me and hugged her tightly. "I'm gonna get you outta here, don't you worry Ami," I said into her hair.

"How Haruko? Where will we go?"

"Any where will be better then here."

"I'm scared," she whispered looking down again.

"Don't be," I said gripping her shoulders lightly, "I will always protect you Ami," I said smiling at her. She looked up and nodded again tucking her head into my shoulder we fell asleep.

…

"Remember Ami, it's all about causing mischief." I said driving my fist into my open palm for emphasis.

"Mischief?" Ami questioned tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Precisely my dear Ami. There is an art behind creating mischief, a certain finesse that takes years to master, its not something one can grasp over night. Luckily for you Ami, I am a master of mischief, commander of catastrophe, a guru of grief if you will."

"Uh-huh sure," she said snarkily waving me off with her hand. She sat there on the floor of our bedroom looking completely disinterested in what I had to say. _The nerve!_

"Might I remind you who orchestrated those brilliant escape attempts?"

"Oh you mean all of those failed escape attempts, why that was you 'Oh Great One.'" She replied looking intently at her cuticles.

"Why you!" I grumbled through a clenched jaw. "I got us out of there didn't I?"

"Yeah, on a technicality, not because your dumb plans actually worked."

"Well I'm going to get us out of here to!" I exclaimed loudly pointing an accusing finger at Ami's bored face.

"Alright Haruko." She said in a deep voice, mocking me.

"That's Haruko-Sensei, Princess of Pandemonium to you!" I said before I stormed over to the pile of clothes in the corner and slipped into my work uniform.

The first week at the manor was absolutely miserable, I had tried everything I could possibly think of, exhausted my arsenal. I put a fish in Dano's slippers. I put apple juice in all of the wine bottles, I even went so far as to mis-match every pair of socks in the whole manor and nothing worked! I needed to change our strategy, not only for my sake but for Ami's as well. The Lady wasn't exactly the kindest lady around and certainly was quick to anger. Drastic measures had to be taken; if we couldn't get Lord Daikoku to kick us out we'd just have to kick ourselves out!

It was late in the night and both the Lord and Lady of the house had already retired for the night, but Ami and I remained awake in our room getting ready for our final escape.

"Here," I smiled pulling the wad of money out of my sock and handing it to her, "you hold onto this for us,"

"Haruko where did you get this?" Ami gasped hesitant to grab the money.

"I stole it from Lord Daikoku so hide it well." I whispered thrusting the money towards her again.

"But wont you get in trouble?"

"We need the money and it's not like were going to be staying here much longer anyway." I assured her. She nodded and took the small amount of money and tucked it into her own sock.

"Come on we gotta go," I stood up and grabbed her hand it was now 11:15 and we had 45 minutes to get into town to make the midnight train, a trip that normally took an hour on foot. Knowing our time restraints I quickly got to work.

Looking out the window I saw a tree that I thought I could get to if I jumped. "Ami come here," I waved my hand beckoning her over, "We're going to jump out the window, I'm going to jump first, aim for that tree." I pulled open the window and climbed onto the sill.

"But Haruko!" Ami said grabbing onto the back of my short dress, trying to pull me back in. I swatted her hand away and flexed my legs. I counted to three in my head then leapt forward. I focused my mind on my hands and feet so hopefully when I hit the tree I stuck on. I could feel the bark digging into my bare arms and legs, scraping them as I pulled myself up onto a large branch. Once settled I scooted to the edge and reached out my hand to Ami.

"Okay, Ami, just like I did, jump and aim for the tree," I said my arms extended towards her.

"H-Haruko I'm sc-scared," she stuttered backing away from the window.

"Don't be scared, jump to me, I won't let you fall,"

"You p-pr-promise?"

She climbed up on the windowsill just like I had done and leaped forward. I felt her hands touch mine and I grabbed tightly onto her slender hands. I wasn't fully prepared for her weight and she started to pull both of us out of the tree but I quickly got my bearings and wrapped my legs around the tree, using my lower body strength to keep us from tumbling to the ground. I quickly heaved her up and onto my branch and we shared a sigh of relief that neither of us took an unfortunate tumble.

"Come on," I said as I began my climb down the tree, Ami following closely behind me. As soon as our feet hit the ground we started sprinting as fast as we possibly could so we could get into town to make the last train out of this hell.

We passed through the front lawn and decided to hop the fence, we couldn't risk getting caught by the guards, plus I knew of a short cut through the woods. I took a running start at the fence and launched myself to the top trying to find a place to grab. I haphazardly latched onto the first piece of metal I could reach, which in my case was one of the sharp decorative points at the top of the fence. I squealed in pain as the sharp metal bit into my skin but managed to maintain my grip and pull myself up. Ignoring the loud stinging in my hand I straddled the bar in between the sharp points and reached my hand down for Ami helping her up and over without incident then got myself down.

"Haruko, your hand!" Ami said reaching for my cut up hand once we were both on the ground outside of the manor walls.

"There's no time we have to go," I said giving my hand a precursory glance and determining that it wasn't worth worrying over I latched onto Ami's wrist with my non-bloody hand and pulled her along.

We made it to the town in record time, but it wasn't fast enough, in the distance I could hear the last call for passenger's of the train. Tugging Ami along harder I made a mad dash to the train station pushing my legs so hard they started to burn. The loud whistle blew right as we burst through the gate. The train started to pull away, my heart was pumping blood through my veins I pushed myself to go even faster, only hoping Ami could keep up. I lead us off the platform and onto the track, I could hear the frantic shouts from the workers yelling at us to stop but I refused to yield, not when I was so close.

Ami and I were merely feet from the train now freedom in our grasp, "Ami, get ready I'm going to throw you onto the train," I shouted over the roar of the locomotive.

"What!?" I heard her shout back.

"Just get ready, hold on and don't get off for any reason!" I shouted, the train was picking up speed, I switched my grip on Ami from her wrist to her bicep pulling her to run right along side of me. I was with in arms distance of the train, I put my hands on Ami's waist and heaved her onto the caboose. She grabbed the railing and held on for dear life visibly shaken from being thrown onto a moving vehicle. She then gradually pulled herself behind the safety of the bars after she caught her breath.

She extended her hand out to me and I extended my hand out to her. My hand brushed her fingertips; I was in her grasp when my sandal caught on one of the tracks that were raised slightly higher then all the rest. I started to fall, Ami's hand slipping from my fingers. I thought I heard her call my name but I couldn't be sure because my heart was pounding in my ears. I fell face first onto the stone, metal and wood of the tracks. My body jerked sideways and I went into a barrel roll. Pain surged through my body like a shock of lightning every time my body smacked against the ground. I felt layers of skin being ripped away from my arms and legs as I rolled to a stop.

"Haruko!" I heard Ami shout.

"Ami," I screamed in agony as I watched my sister fade in the distance, the train taking her farther and farther from me, driving a wedge between us. I turned my head not bothering to pull myself up off the ground.

"Ami," I whispered, tears cascading down my scratched dirty cheeks. That train was it that was my chance, my only chance, it's all over now.

I could hear the footsteps of the workers get louder as they got closer to me. I didn't bother lifting myself up off the ground. One of them bent down and turned me over so I was looking up at him. He studied me briefly for a second then turned towards his companion.

"Get a messenger out to Lord Daikoku, tell him we have one of his girls," he barked at the other man. The train station operator nodded at the man then quickly high tailed it back to the station so he could do what was asked of him, probably believing it was in my best interest.

"That wasn't very smart of you, you could have died you know." The other man stated looking away from the retreating form of the train operator and addressing me now. I didn't say anything just stared up at him, tears falling down my face. He sighed heavily and reached down and pulled me into his arms. He stood up and began carrying me back to the station.

"This is your fault," I whispered harshly. Letting the familiar rocking soothe me into a state of semi-consciousness.

"My fault you have three hot meals a day and a place to sleep?" He questioned.

"No one asked you to intervene," I said savagely to the man.

"Actually someone did, your friend Ami," he countered, pulling my cold body in closer to him to warm me up.

"Yeah and see where that got her," my voice cracked as more tears sprang from my eyes.

"Hush," he whispered not looking down at me but looking straight ahead.

I swallowed my sobs as best I could before speaking again, "What's a ninja from the leaf doing out here anyway?"

"I'm here on business," he said not elaborating any further. We continued our way back to the station in silence, I was surprised at how much ground Ami and I made, the trip back seemed to take forever.

We finally made it back to the station though and Kakashi walked casually through the doors and into the operator's office as if he owned the place. He looked down at me for the first time and asked me in a soft voice if I could stand I nodded yes. He gently set me on my feet and kneeled down in front of me so we were at eye level.

"I sent a messenger boy out to Lord Daikoku's estate on a horse, they should be back within the hour." The train station operator said.

He simply nodded, never taking his eyes off of me. He cupped my face with his gloved hands and used his thumbs to wipe the tear marks from my eyes. I looked up at him grateful for rescuing me, but resentful for him letting those people have me. He pulled some bandages and cream out of a pouch he had strapped to the back if his pants. He asked the station attendant for a wet cloth and as soon as he got it he began wiping the dirt off of me.

"You could really use a bath," he stated matter of factly rubbing foul alcohol into my skin. Once the dirt was cleaned from the scratches he then took the cream and rubbed it into the cuts. The cream felt icy cold against my skin, I tried to pulling away to alleviate myself from the sensation, but he held me firmly in place and soon the chill died down and actually started to feel good.

"I need you to be brave, okay?" He asked me quietly, finishing putting the last of the bandages on. He got up, nodded to the operator and left. I wanted desperately to latch onto him and never let him leave. Beg him to take me with him, along whatever adventure he was on, but that was preposterous, he was a ninja with duties to his village he didn't need some dumb kid hanging off his legs. So instead I stood there silently watching him walk right out of my life again.

It was possibly the shortest hour of my life waiting for Dano to arrive and collect me. The ride back to the estate in the carriage was made in hostile silence. We slowed to a stop in front of the porch, Dano got out and grabbed my arm squeezing it tightly as he yanked me out off the carriage. I looked up at him, kind of scared, as he pulled me along. His jaw was set, I could see his teeth clenching in anger. He pulled me along past the Masters office and out to the back gardens. It was a beautiful small garden with a water pump and a stone path traveling through it.

Just then the doors were thrown open and Master Daikoku emerged. His fists were clenched, his eyes sparkled dangerously of tightly reigned in fury. "Dano," he said through clenched teeth. Dano nodded and took the necessary amount of steps towards me. He reached for me and I shrieked as he put me under a water pump. Cold water poured over my already chilled body.

After I was thoroughly soaked Dano threw me on the stony ground at Master Daikoku's feet. I slowly raised my head to look at him, he was glaring at me as he rolled up his sleeves. He held out his hand and Dano handed him a whip.

The Master circled around me while I remained on the ground. "Do you know how much trouble you caused me," he asked bringing his arm down, the whip coming down hard across my wet body.

"Ah!" I screamed out as the stinging exploded across my back.

"How dare you try to run from me!" Another lash lit across my back.

I let out another strangled cry.

"That was money you cost me!"_ Swish. Crack. _

"I'm sorry!"

"This is your own fault," _Swish. Crack. _

"Yes! Please!"

_Swish. Crack! _

This pattern continued until I didn't have the strength to cry out. I thought I was on the verge of passing out, my mind was fuzzy, I was floating in a haze of pain and agony. Finally he stopped and I felt someone yank me to my feet. The person pushed me inside and told me to go to my room. My vision was swimming as I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, our bedroom. I pulled off my wet clothes and flopped down on the bed mat and began to sob uninhibited.

I stuffed my fist in my mouth and bit down on my knuckles to muffle the sound. My back felt as if someone had stripped the layer of skin right off. I looked down at my hand through blurry eyes, I could still feel Ami's fingertips on mine, if I'd have only been stronger, been faster, then I wouldn't be feeling this heartache.

I looked around at these cell walls through clouded eyes, I could feel them move closer to me. Squeezing me, suffocating me, taking my life, and I couldn't do anything but lay down and accept it. I had my chance to escape and I blew it.

God I hope Ami is all right_. _

_Rock-a-bye _

_And Goodnight _

_Go to Sleep _

_My Sweet Baby _

_Mommy Loves You _

_Yes I Love You _

_Just the Way You Are._

**Please, oh please review! It would mean so much to me! constructive criticism is always welcome.**


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